Thursday, July 27, 2017

The head of the Boy Scouts of America apologized Thursday for President Trump's speech at the Scouts' annual jamboree.

Chief Scout Executive Michael Surbaugh said in the statement that it "was never our intent" to inject politics into the event.

Surbaugh wrote...

"I want to extend my sincere apologies to those in our Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric that was inserted into the jamboree. We sincerely regret that politics were inserted into the Scouting program." Surbaugh continued that the invite was "in no way an endorsement of any person, party or policies. For years, people have called upon us to take a position on political issues, and we have steadfastly remained non-partisan and refused to comment on political matters,"

The apology was in response to outcry over the performance given by Donald Trump in front of a crowd of about 40,000 children at the 2017 National Jamboree in West Virginia on Monday.

At the Jamboree Trump took the stage and immediately turned the event into a political rally. He criticized former President Barack Obama (who also addressed the gathering as president), railed against Obamacare, ridiculed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, basked in his own electoral victory, thanked the Scouts for their votes (?), regaled the audience with stories of his salad days at New York cocktail parties and of course whined about the "fake media."

Parents and former Scouts were understandably disgusted by the president's remarks.